Running the Tough Routes

Two weeks ago, former Notre Dame wide receiver Michael Floyd was drafted by the Arizona Cardianls with the 13th overall pick in the NFL Draft. It was undoubtedly a tremendous night for the Irish legend, and one that, a year prior, seemed anything but certain.

After an alcohol-related run-in with the law in the spring of 2011, Floyd was suspended from the Irish football team. His future as a student and an athlete at Notre Dame was largely in doubt. Although he had already declared that he would return for his senior season, it would have been understandable if he had entered the NFL’s supplemental draft to avoid a humbling path towards righting his wrongs. But Michael took that path. 

He had let his teammates down, and he realized that. He had a daunting task ahead of him to earn back the trust of so many people in his life. But one day at a time, Michael did that. He changed the friends he hung out with and he participated in alcohol education classes.  He moved back into Dillon Hall, a dorm on Notre Dame’s campus. He spoke at the Play Like a Champion Today® Leadership Conference and participated in the Athletic Department’s Youth Sports ministry. He maintained his physical focus and by the time his senior year began, Coach Brian Kelly and University officials recognized that Michael had made positive changes in his life, and reinstated him to the school and the team.

Floyd went on to break every major receiving record in Notre Dame football history.

Thanks to football, and the staff in the Notre Dame Athletic department, Floyd’s legacy at Notre Dame will be for his prowess on the gridiron, instead of the potential he let slip away. Floyd’s story is a tale of how sports can be a means of transformation and of reconciliation. Being a part of a team, no doubt, gave Michael the support and accountability he needed in what was certainly a rough period in his life. And the discipline of football provided the focus needed to make a change in his behavior.

Frequently in our society, we take away our youth’s right to participate in sport as a punishment for bad behavior. Sometimes the behavior is chronic, and rewards (like playing on a team) should be taken away, but too often we fail to recognize the positive role that sport can play in changing a young person’s behavior. The structure, discipline and humility gained from sport are unique in the way they mature young people, and removing them from a sport environment may only make social behaviors worse.

After seeing the humbling events in Floyd’s life, we can now respect him for not only his dominance at his position, but his commitment to personal betterment and his respect for his team and school. It was not an easy path, and his journey is not complete, but just as we’ve watched on the field, Michael is not afraid to take the tough routes.